beast was sometimes directed by him who rules in the armies above and among the inhabitants of the earth beneath. Children receive these facts among their earliest impressions; and little care is taken to point out to the young inquirers, the causes which produced such signal displays of God's moral discipline. Is not this one cause, why we form deep, but erroneous ideas respecting war, and the necessity of war? Is not the young mind led to think of the wars, which are spreading havoc over half of this fair creation as necessary evils, almost as natural as the return of day and night, of seed time and harvest? Again we suffer children to pass from the reading of the Old Testament to that of the New, without leading them to reflect on the immense difference between the Jewish and Christian dispensations. The Gospel breathes love and mercy. When Christ was born, Angels proclaimed peace on earth and good will to man. Christ is the Prince of peace. Children should be told that this Messiah, this Redeemer, this great Exemplar to mankind, expressly declares it to be the will of his God and our God, that we should love our enemies, that we should do good to them that hate us; that we must love one another, or we cannot see the kingdom of God. They should be taught to notice what a spirit of peace, of love, of lowliness, of benevolence, and of piety, breathes throughout the Gospels. The unequivocal disapprobation, with which war is spoken of, should be pointed out to them. "Whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not of your lusts ?" If the Bible is indeed a standard of faith, they should early learn to dread lowering the standard of virtue there erected. Jesus Christ has said, "If a man strike thee on the right cheek, turn to him the left also." This command breathes only peace, and, in the strongest manner, teaches us to bear great injuries, rather than return evil for evil. To indolent parents and negligent teachers may be traced the evil of which the writer in the Christian Mirror complains. Nor is it from Sacred Writ alone, that educated children imbibe wrong notions concerning war and the necessity of war. Almost all the works of taste, all classic literature rivet impressions upon the young mind, inimical to the calm, dispassionate voice of peace. And I am fully persuaded, that the reason why women have not been as active as men, in eradicating these deep rooted and long standing errors from their hearts, is, because their education is less perfect. Men of liberal education and liberal views trace with clearness and precision effects to their proper causes. They clearly see the progress of the human mind from the earliest to the latest ages. It was their privilege, first to have discovered, that now is the time to hope, that exertions to establish the reign of the Prince of Peace, will be eventually successful. All great events are produced by slow, and often noiseless steps. Education is better attended to, more judicious plans are adopted. Teachers, once severe, are laying by the rod, and using the far better way of parental tenderness and patient attention: watching, as the mind develops its powers, pouring in instruction as it will bear it, and with a firm, but gentle hand, rooting out error and implanting principle. Soon, I trust, will the Friends of Peace see well educated and enlightened women crowding to their standard, and enriching their valuable work with intellectual wealth. The time is fast approaching, when neither men nor women will take any thing upon trust. They will search for themselves, and see "whether these things are so." Let each friend to the religion of our blessed Master persevere in the certain, though slow effort, to promote peace on earth and good will to men. To do this effectually, let them disseminate knowledge; let the rising generation be instructed right in the truths of our holy religion. Let not classic knowledge be imparted without leading the inquiring mind to mark the hand of God in each eventful period of history, and to trace the gradual breaking forth of that glorious light, which burst upon the world, when the Son of righteousness arose. Let it be taught, that, since God in mercy granted a new dispensation; since the advent of the Prince of Peace, new means are used to draw us to the throne of Almighty love. We now must love one another. wars must cease, passion must be subdued, and revenge banished from the heart, or we never can hope to rise to the majesty of perfected beings, fit associates for the high intelligences of an eternal world. NELSON'S CHARGE TO A MIDSHIPMAN. "THERE are three things, young gentleman, which you are constantly to bear in mind. First, you must always implicitly obey orders, without attempting to form any opinion of your own respecting their propriety. Secondly, you must consider every man your enemy who speaks ill of your king. And Thirdly, you must hate a Frenchman as you do the devil." Southey's Life of Nelson, Vol. i. Chap. iii. "With these feelings," says the biographer, "he engaged in the anti-jacobin war;" nor does the biographer, any more than the Admiral, appear to have been aware that such "feelings" are antichristian and diabolical, the reverse of every thing required by the Gospel. The first of these precepts is founded on one of the grossest of all delusions. What! is a rational being, who is accountable to God for all his actions, implicitly to obey the orders of a man, fallible like himself, "without attempting to form any opinion of his own respecting their propriety." Yet in the military or naval code, this precept is regarded as binding on soldiers or seamen, and even on all the subordinate officers, till you ascend to the commander in chief. On such ground inferior officers, soldiers, and seamen, feel justified in executing orders for the most horrible acts of injustice, rapine, devastation, and cruelty. It is, however, worthy of remark, that Nelson himself in sereral instances disobeyed the orders of his superiors; but success secured him from punishment. In one instance he disobeyed on the following ground, as stated by himself:-" I must either disobey my orders, or disobey acts of Parliament. I determined upon the former, trusting to the uprightness of my intentions, and believing that my country would not let me be ruined for protecting her commerce." Vol. i. p. 50. Nelson was then a Captain under Admiral Hughes. In his opinion the orders of the Admiral were in opposition to the requirements of an act of Parliament. The Parliament he regarded as the higher authority, and therefore felt justified in disobeying the Admiral's orders. On the same principle, when the requirements of a man, however high in office, are in opposition to the command of Jehovah, it is a duty incumbent on every one to obey God rather than man. With regard to the second of Nelson's injunctions, it is difficult to conceive of any principle of reason, justice, or religion, on which it could be founded. It seems however, to be founded on a principle which is well known to be false- The King can do no wrong." As Nelson was a professed Christian, the turpitude of his third precept will appear by contrasting it with a precept of the Messiah: NELSON. "You must hate a Frenchman as you do the devil.” JESUS CHRIST. "Ye have heard that it hath been said-Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you." Now which is to be obeyed by Christians, a Nelson or the Messiah? It will be urged, that war can never be waged with a prospect of advantage, unless soldiers are excited to hate their antagonists, nor unless they will yield a blind and implicit obedience to their officers. This is granted; but what follows? Not that men may lawfully be excited to hate one another, nor that they should be taught to degrade themselves to a level with dogs, by unreflecting obedience to unjust mandates; but that the whole business of war is offensive to God and degrading to man, and should therefore be abolished. It is a remarkable fact that, while implicit obedience is re quired as the first of military duties, it is a common thing for the officers of one party to try to persuade the soldiers of the other, to violate the commands of their superiors, to desert, and even to change sides in the contest! Such is the palpable inconsistency of the popular laws and usages of war. EDWARD AUGUSTUS HOLYOKE, LL. D. [From the Concord Register.] Suggested by seeing the name of the venerable Dr. HOLYOKE, of Salem, occupying the oldest place on the Harvard College Catalogue, and standing alone, unstarred, among hundreds of his cotemporaries, like a beacon-light shining amidst a dark and cheerless expanse. HAIL, venerated man! the weight of years- The thousand natural ills that flesh is heir to"- O'er cities, and o'er nations, in the form Of earthquakes, plagues, and devastating wars- And pass'd by thee unscath'd. Thou, in thy strength, Hast stood, an oak among the forest trees, And given thy shelter to a weary world. Thou standest, still, green e'en in thy old age, G. With pleasure we transplant the foregoing lines from a Newspaper into the pages of the Friend of Peace, as a tribute of respect justly due-not to one whose laurels are stained with blood, but to a man of benevolence and peace, who has acquired esteem by doing good. Dr. Holyoke became a member of the Massachusetts Peace Society soon after it was organized. Early in 1822 he became a LIFE SUBSCRIBER, being then in his 95th year. Among the members of M. P. S. there are many advanced in years, but Dr. Holyoke is believed to be several years in advance of any other Member; and he is perhaps the oldest Member of a Peace Society who is now living in any part of the world. Both before and after the coming of the MESSIAH, a great portion of mankind were in the habit of adoring as gods or demigods the most successful Desolaters of the earth; yet he never said, Blessed are the War-makers ;-but he did say, "Blessed are the PEACE-MAKERS; for they shall be called the sons of God." LETTER FROM THE PEACE SOCIETY IN LONDON. MY DEAR FRIEND, London, 16th of 7th month, 1824. Ir was with very great pleasure that I received and laid before our Committee thy letter of May 5th. I have now to observe, that the 30 copies of No. 35, Friend of Peace-30 of No. 6-40 of the Eighth Report-12 Bigelow's Address, have been duly received, and were cordially acceptable. How we rejoice in these reciprocations of friendly offices! By the London Packet, I expect thou wilt receive 18 copies of No. 9, and 18 of No. 10 of the Herald of Peace, New Series. We propose to send also the usual number of our Eighth Annual Report, when it is published. But in the mean time we send two copies of it without the list of subscribers. The Friend of Peace, I am glad to see, continues to be conducted with spirit; and, if we regard the subject, is not deficient in variety. I think its publication must be extensively useful. I have been much pleased with Bigelow's Address. It would be very gratifying to our Committee if some of our great men in this country would lend their influence and exertions, as they appear to do with you, in support of this glorious cause. I consider that there is something in your institutions more favorable to the progress of pacific principles than in ours. I expect that America will very soon stand high in the world as a glorious and enlightened innovator on the side of Peace, national justice, and humanity. But you must first get entirely rid of slavery. * * * * * * I can scarcely say how much I value the personal token to myself-the FRIEND OF YOUTH. It is in itself an excellent work for children—and I value it for the Author's sake-my two eldest are greatly pleased with it. Accept the assurance of my respect and Christian love, and believe me thy sincere friend. THOMAS HANCOCK. REMARKABLE CELEBRATIONS. Ar a public festival Pausanias, a young Nobleman, assassinated King Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. Intelligence of this event soon reached Athens, and the people of that city abandoned themselves to transports of joy, under the influence of Demosthenes. "He also engaged them to offer sacrifices to thank the gods for the good news, and by a decree ordained a crown to Pausanias, who had committed the murder." Rollin. So much for Pagan celebrations in ancient times. Let us see whether Christians in later ages have been more humane. Perhaps no sanguinary event ever made a deeper or more durable impression of horror on the minds of the people of sur |